5 Rules for Achieving Success with the Cloud

These days, it seems like everyone is talking about the benefits of the cloud. From business continuity to scalability as your business grows to the flexibility to work anywhere, cloud services sound like a perfect solution for many businesses.

The problem, though, is that some businesses believe they can just “throw everything in the cloud” and never have to think about it again. In reality, working in the cloud requires ongoing management to ensure your company’s data is not at risk.

5 Rules to Ensure Your Company’s Cloud Implementation is Successful

So whether you’re thinking of implementing cloud services or you’ve been using cloud services for a while, make sure your business is following these five rules to achieve success with the cloud.

1. Know how your company will interact with the cloud

You may not need to have your entire staff in the cloud. Decide which team members or which departments should have access, and to which assets. Outlining the rules of use helps keep sensitive data secure while also ensuring that your business won’t exceed your monthly allocation for a particular cloud service.

2. Decide what should go in the cloud

Another big problem with the “throw everything in the cloud” myth is that not everything should go in the cloud. If an application requires a complex integration to migrate to the cloud, think twice. The last thing you want is poor application performance that negatively affects user experience.

3. Understand where responsibilities fall between you and your CSP

CSPs, or cloud service providers, are responsible for the infrastructure that makes the cloud work. They are responsible for the security of the cloud. However, as a cloud customer, you are responsible for security IN the cloud. This means your business must decide how to secure your assets and data within the cloud. From ensuring that security patches are installed promptly to monitoring which team members have access to which data, the responsibility of cloud security is yours to share with your CSP.

4. Work with a cloud administration expert

Even if you work with an internal IT team, don’t assume the members of that staff are experts in cloud services. Some companies elect to hire someone dedicated to the role of cloud administration or to invest in extensive training for the current IT staff. After all, cloud ignorance leads to security risks; the last thing you want is to think your cloud data is secure when it isn’t.

However, if hiring a dedicated professional or investing in training doesn’t fit within your budget, you can also outsource cloud service management. Warwick is a trusted provider of custom cloud solutions that can help bring you peace of mind knowing you’re in the hands of an expert.

5. Have a backup plan

While one of the major benefits of cloud services is their reliability, that doesn’t mean that cloud solutions are immune to outages. At some point, there will be downtime. That’s the nature of technology.

And when it comes to your data, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. So create backups and make sure your business has a disaster recovery plan. Hopefully, you’ll never have to use it.

Looking for a cloud administration expert? Need some guidance putting together a disaster recovery plan that brings you peace of mind? Trying to decide which cloud solution is right for your business? Contact Warwick and learn more about our cloud services.